Disposable cup with integrated stirrer

ABSTRACT

A disposable cup with a stirring device releasably attached to the bottom of the cup. The incorporated stirrer can be pulled from the bottom of the cup, straightened and used to mix sugar, or other ingredient, into hot tea, or other drink. This improved disposable cup eliminates the need for anyone to search for a spoon to mix their drink. It also allows one less item, spoons, to be packed for outings. The stirrer is attached to the present cup in such a way that packing, or stacking, of multiple cups together is not adversely affected.

The present invention was originally disclosed in U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/662,172 filed on Mar. 17, 2005, and priority is claimed to the provisional patent application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of disposable cups and more specifically to a disposable cup with an attached stirrer.

Disposable cups are used at picnics, parties and other gatherings where traditional, breakable cups are not appropriate. Disposable cups, such as paper cups, have been adapted for use with hot liquids, including coffee, tea and hot chocolate. When hot drinks are used, it is often desirable to mix sugar, milk or another ingredient into the hot drink. This requires the use of a spoon or stirring stick, also referred to as a stirrer. When packing everything that is needed for a gathering where drinks will be served, it is easy to forget items such as spoons or stirrers. Combining the packaging of two complementary items, such as cups and stirrers, makes planning and packing much easier for the responsible person.

What is needed in the field is a disposable cup that includes its own stirrer. The ideal cup would have the stirrer integrated with the cup so that packaging of multiple cups would not be adversely affected. Thus, the disposable cups would still be able to be stacked in the traditional manner so that large quantities could be packaged and sold together.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A device that is adapted for holding beverages, including hot tea. The device includes an integrated stirrer that can be used to mix ingredients, such as sugar, into the beverage. The device comprises a disposable cup with a generally cylindrical shape. The cup has an open top, a solid bottom, an empty interior and a height. The interior of the cup is adapted for containing the liquid. The integrated stirrer is able to flex between a curled orientation and a straightened orientation. The flexible stirrer is initially in the curled orientation and releasably attached to the bottom of the disposable cup. The flexible stirrer can be moved to the straightened position after it is detached from the bottom of the cup. The stirrer preferably has a length that is equal to, or greater than, the height of the cup. The attached flexible stirrer does not affect the stacking ability of the cup and multiple cups can be stacked within each other.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a stirring device with every disposable cup so that if the user needs a stirring device, they do not need to look for one.

It is a further object of the present invention to integrate the stirring device into the disposable cup so that stacking and packing of the cup is not adversely affected.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention of the present application will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, given only by way of example, in which:

FIG. 1(a) is a frontal view of the preferred embodiment;

FIG. 1(b) is a bottom, front view of the preferred embodiment;

FIG. 2(a) shows the initial shape of the present stirring apparatus;

FIG. 2(b) shows the subsequent shape of the stirring apparatus; and

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of an alternative embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1(a) is a frontal view of the preferred embodiment comprising an improved disposable cup 100. The cup 100 has a similar shape to traditional disposable cups, with an open top and a circumference that tapers down to a bottom 105 that is slightly smaller than the open top. This design not only allows the cup 100 to be held securely by the user but also allows multiple cups to be stacked within each other, which provides for easy packaging. The improvement to the traditional disposable cup is shown in FIG. 1(b).

FIG. 1(b) is a bottom, front view of the preferred embodiment, wherein a stirring apparatus 110 is temporarily attached to the exterior base 115 of the disposable cup 100. The stirring apparatus 110, or stirrer, is coiled into a circular orientation and glued to the base 115 of the cup. The user is able to pull the stirrer 110 from the base 115 of the cup 100, straighten the stirrer 110 it into a rod shape and use the stirrer 110 to mix ingredients, such as sugar and cream, into beverages, such as coffee and tea. The stirrer 110 is in parallel with the base 115 of the cup and does not exceed the boundaries defined by the base 115 of the cup. The bottom 105 of the present cup 110, as with traditional cups, is actually a lip that extends a short distance from the base 115 and defines the bottom circumference of the cup 110. The present stirrer 110 has a diameter that is smaller than the length of the bottom 105 lip of the cup. This design prevents the stirrer 110 from interfering with the smooth fitting together of multiple cups during packaging. The present improved design also will not affect the existing shape of the cup nor the cup's function. The present invention facilitates the availability of a stirrer whenever one is needed. If the stirrer 110 is not needed by the user, then the stirrer 110 can remain attached to the exterior base 115 of the cup 100 and the cup 100 can be used in the traditional manner. The present improved cup can be made of any disposable material including paper and plastic.

FIG. 2(a) shows the stirrer 110 in the curled orientation, which is the initial orientation of the stirrer 110, i.e., the shape of the stirrer while it is attached to the bottom of the cup. The stirrer 110 is preferably made of a flexible plastic that has a corrugated surface, which allows the stirrer to flex between the curled and straightened orientations. In practice, the user merely pulls the stirrer 110 off of the bottom of the cup and manipulates the stirrer 110 with their hands to make the stirrer 110 acquire the shape shown in FIG. 2(b). Preferably an organic, or other edible, glue is used to attach the stirrer to the bottom of the cup, so that in the unlikely event that some glue remains on the stirrer after removal, and is dissolved in the beverage, the consumer will not be harmed. Alternatively, the stirrer may be partially, or entirely, covered with a wrapper of paper or plastic, and the glue is only placed between the wrapper and the bottom of the cup. Thus, no glue ever touches the stirrer.

FIG. 2(b) shows the stirrer 110 in the straightened orientation. Once the stirrer 110 achieves a straight, rod-like, shape, the user is free to use the stirrer 110 to aid in the preparation of coffee, tea and other drinks. The large circle in FIG. 2(b) provides a magnified surface view of the portion of the stirrer 110 in the small circle. This corrugated surface allows the stirrer 110 to flex between the two orientations and still maintain enough rigidity to be used as a stirrer. Of course, the stirrer may have other surface textures, including smooth, in other embodiments.

FIG. 3 shows a bottom view of an alternative embodiment of the stirrer 300. In this embodiment, the stirrer 300 is temporarily attached within the bottom 105 lip of the cup by friction. The stirrer 300 naturally wants to return to its straightened form and pushes against the interior wall of the bottom 105 lip with sufficient force to hold the stirrer 300 in place, without the use of any adhesive. The stirrer 300 is also longer than the stirrer of the preferred embodiment and actually overlaps itself while in the stored position, or curled orientation. The alternative stirrer 300 also includes a flattened end, which improves stirring ability. The alternative stirrer 300 has more of the shape of a traditional spoon, which increases the surface area of the stirrer that makes contact with the liquid thereby creating a more efficient stirrer. The alternative stirrer 300 also allows the present improvement to be used with tall disposable cups, by providing a stirrer of almost any length.

The present stirrer can be tubular or solid plastic and it is possible that only selected surfaces of the stirrer are corrugated. The length of the stirrer is adjustable and ideally the length is slightly longer than the height of the cup, which allows hot drinks to be stirred without burning one's fingers. The present invention is ideal for any event where drinks will be served as it negates the need to pack or buy spoons.

The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept. Therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology of terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. 

1. A device that is adapted for holding a liquid, wherein the device includes an apparatus that can be used to stir the liquid, the device comprising: a disposable cup having an cylindrical shape, an open top, a solid bottom, an interior and a height, wherein the interior of the cup is adapted for containing the liquid; and a flexible stirrer that is able to flex between a curled orientation and a straightened orientation, wherein the flexible stirrer is releasably attached to the bottom of the disposable cup.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the flexible stirrer is in the curled orientation while attached to the bottom of the cup.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the flexible stirrer can be moved to the straightened orientation after being detached from the bottom of the cup.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein the stirrer has a length that is equal to or greater than the height of the cup.
 5. The device of claim 1, further comprising a second beverage holding device wherein the second device can be stored within the interior of the device and the attached flexible stirrers do not affect the stacking ability of the devices.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the disposable cup further comprises a lower lip that extends around a circumference of the bottom of the cup, and wherein the lower lip extends a defined distance from the bottom of the cup.
 7. The device of claim 6, wherein a diameter of the flexible stirrer is equal to, or less than, the defined distance.
 8. The device of claim 1, wherein the flexible stirrer further comprises a first end with a generally round shape and a second end that has a flattened, spoon-like shape.
 9. The device of claim 1, wherein at least of portion of a surface of the flexible stirrer is corrugated so that flexing of the stirrer is aided.
 10. The device of claim 1, wherein the cup and the stirrer are made of plastic.
 11. The device of claim 1, wherein the cup is made of paper.
 12. The device of claim 1, wherein the stirrer is attached to the bottom of the cup by friction. 